Thousands of firearms surrendered

Photo: Yahoo7 News

In the first two months of the National Firearms Amnesty, 2150 firearms had been surrendered in Victoria.

This is on top of a number of bladed weapons, imitation firearms and ammunition which have also been surrendered.

Superintendent Paul Millett of the Licensing and Regulation Division said the figures represented the most effective firearm amnesty results Victoria has had for more than a decade.

“These results are very encouraging,” he said.

“Let me be clear – this is more than 2000 firearms that would otherwise be at greater risk of ending up in the wrong hands.”

Around Victoria:

• 689 firearms have been surrendered so far in the Western Region, which covers an area from Geelong to Mildura

• 956 firearms have been surrendered so far in the Eastern Region, which covers an area from Forest Hill to Bairnsdale

• 269 firearms have been surrendered so far in the North West Region, which covers an area from Melbourne’s CBD to Whittlesea

• 236 firearms have been surrendered so far in the Southern Region, which covers an area from Prahran to the Mornington Peninsula

“Firearm ownership for occupational and recreational reasons is often more common in regional and rural areas, which is reflected in the amnesty results so far,” Supt Millett said.

“With only one month left in the amnesty, we would like to see the number of surrendered firearms increase by encouraging everyone to help improve community safety by surrendering items that could pose a danger.”

Supt Millett said the amnesty complemented the ongoing work of Victoria Police’s dedicated firearms investigation team, regional investigators and national law enforcement partners to get illegal firearms off our streets.

“The illegal firearm market is complex and the amnesty is just one of the ways we are tackling the illicit firearm market,” he said.

Victorians have until 30 September to surrender unregistered and unwanted firearms, ammunition and weapons to Licensed Firearms Dealers without fear of prosecution.

Anyone surrendering firearms, weapons or ammunition during the amnesty should surrender to a Licensed Firearms Dealer and not directly to local police.

Explosives should not be surrendered during the amnesty. Any person wanting to dispose of explosives, including explosive ordnances, should contact WorkSafe.

“We encourage people to phone Licenced Firearms Dealers ahead of time and let them know what items you are looking to surrender,” Supt Millett said.